"The food-bank facilities occupy the building’s first floor and roof; the nonprofit Low Income Housing Institute oversees 49 studios and apartments on the other floors, including 20 set aside for homeless young adults. Street Bean Coffee Roasters, a job-training program for homeless youth, operates a coffee shop with a separate entrance on the ground floor.

The actual food bank looks more like a supermarket than anything else, one with limits on some categories but no price tags. It’s a big departure from traditional setups, where people in need line up for prepacked bags of canned goods."

"Homeless youth are often kicked out of cafes in the cold winter months when it’s not easy to be outside. Yet in the U District, many youth don’t choose to take shelter or access services. So advocates are experimenting with opening a cafe for them.”

"A banjo cover of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” carried through the parking lot, an unlikely ode to the newest effort to alleviate homelessness in the U-District.

That effort, the Doorway Project, aims to establish a community hub for homeless youth. The UW-led initiative of students, faculty, and community service providers, will host quarterly pop-up cafes before setting up a permanent location that doubles as a navigation center, connecting homeless youth with local services.

"Just days after King County leaders talked about creating a new task force to tackle the homelessness problem, the University of Washington community launched a new effort Sunday to combat youth homelessness.

The innovative idea, called The Doorway Project, has $1 million in new state funds to help. It's hoping UW, in partnership with faculty, students and community agencies, will collaborate to develop a new neighborhood hub and navigation center for the homeless"

"Seattle’s homeless crisis isn’t confined to one part of town – nor does it hinge on one solution.

The University District community includes as much as one-third of King County’s homeless youth over any given year. It’s a neighborhood where a food bank and youth shelter are available, and where young people on the streets can blend in.

But more needs to be done in the U District and beyond to help homeless young adults become self-sufficient over the long term.

Now the University of Washington, in a partnership among faculty, student and community service agencies – and with $1 million in state funding over two years – is launching The Doorway Project, an effort to establish a neighborhood hub and navigation center specifically for homeless young people."

Our first Pop-Up Café is happening on December 3rd, from Noon-4pm at U-Heights Community Center. This is a free event and all are invited!

Come enjoy the musical stylings of Aaron Shay (aaronjshay.net) and Moody (https://www.facebook.com/wheresmoody/), as well as other artists, to be announced soon!

We plan to be serving complimentary hot coffee and cocoa for all, and will be hosting two food trucks on-site to provide warm, nourishing food. There will be a "Pay-It-Forward" model, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds!